1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stove, typically used for burning wood, employing a catalytic combustor to improve stove efficiency and reduce emission of gaseous combustion products and a combustor bypass structure and other improvements to a stove utilizing a catalytic combustor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Utilization of various catalytic converters or catalytic combustors for the purpose of oxidizing and thereby reducing emissions from ovens, stoves, incinerators and similar devices is well known in prior art. So called "air-tight" or "boiler plate" wood burning stoves generally similar to the stove of the present invention are also well known in the prior art, but few such wood burning stoves have been designed for utilization of a catalytic combustor and none of the prior art designs achieve the objects of the present invention.
One prior art wood burning stove utilizes a monolithic ceramic substrate catalytic combustor positioned in a sleeve communicating between the stove combustion chamber and a second chamber which also communicates with the flue. That stove also employs a smoke relief door actuated to open when the fuel loading door is open; however, the smoke relief door is not located for optimum utility as is the analogous structure in the present invention. Additionally, the prior art stoves do not utilize the novel combustor bypass structure of the present invention or the means for supplying secondary air to the combustion chamber in the region of the combustor of the present invention. Similarly, the prior art does not teach other desirable features of the present invention which will be fully described below.